TugOLove
by NaijaChiqa
Summary: Theresa-Marissa... based on preview of Marissa at Theresa's house. Non-slash Second Part up! R
1. Part One

Alright, I think I am officially becoming a fanfiction.net junkie. I have only been writing for about two weeks and I am already on my third fic.  
  
I do not own the OC or any characters on the show. I've been having writer's block lately and this show is helping to restore my creative juices.  
  
-----------------------  
  
One evening as I was sitting on the couch, planning my schedule for the following day, I heard someone bang on my door. I shouted that I was coming, hoping the noise would stop. But it didn't -the person was relentless. I quickly ran to the door to stop it because I didn't want my nosy neighbors calling the cops. When I swung it open, there she was, Marissa, my ex-boyfriend's most recent ex, standing there, soaking wet and looking dejected.  
  
"Are you in love with him?" She asked pathetically.  
  
"Sorry?" Was she nuts? Rain withstanding, would a normal person drive from Newport to Chino at such an ungodly hour just to ask me questions? Ryan had mentioned that she had been battling some emotional problems but this was pushing the issue.  
  
"Ryan," she said impatiently, "are you in love with him?" she screamed.  
  
She was screeching so hard that I knew that despite the rain, my entire neighborhood could hear her so I knew I had to do something.  
  
"Please come in," I said, grabbing her arm. She immediately shook me hand off, refusing to comply.  
  
"Marissa, you are soaking wet. Just come in for a bit so that you can dry off. We can talk about it inside."  
  
She stared at me for a while, contemplating her options before she walked it.  
  
I went to the laundry room to pick up a clean towel and handed it to her. She dried herself off and handed back the wet towel. I didn't want her wetting my couch so I pointed at one of the chairs in the dinning room and beckoned her to sit. I sat on another seat, across the table from her.  
  
"So what's your question again?"  
  
"You and Ryan, are you in love?"  
  
I scratched my head and wondered, "why would you think that?"  
  
"Please," she said in a whining voice, "just answer me."  
  
I got off the seat and walked around a little. "Do you want the truth?"  
  
------  
  
When she asked me that question, I felt like crying. "Do you want the truth?" usually comes right before some heartbreaking home truths and I was not prepared to hear them. I got in my car after Summer told me that Seth had said that he felt Ryan and Theresa were getting back together. Seth had sworn her to secrecy but like a good friend, she'd informed me. I don't know what had happened, because it felt like I had an out of body experience when I jumped into my car and drove to Theresa's place. I'd only been to her neighborhood once, but it was like my body was on autopilot because somehow, I found my way there.  
  
"Of course I want the truth!" I flung back at her - bracing myself for the worst.  
  
"Well," she started, "the truth is... I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
She sat back down. "I honestly do not know. Yes, when I picked that catering job, I was hoping to see Ryan again. But I didn't really think that we stood a chance of rekindling what we'd shared. But then you and him.... you not trusting him... that really changed things. I don't know..." she said, shaking her head.  
  
I started crying again. "But doesn't he understand I love him?"  
  
"What he understands is that you don't trust him."  
  
Hearing those words filled my heart with rage. "So, he prefers a girl who is not even sure about her feelings to one who loves him, just because I didn't trust him?"  
  
"Yes," she said sympathetically. "Right now he does. At least he knows that I trust him." Then she licked her lips. Such pretty full lips - lips made for a Chanel ad. God, why don't I have such full lips? They look so soft and enticing - maybe that's why Ryan likes her - she's got gorgeous, juicy full lips. While I have lips so thin that I need to enlarge them with tons of lipliner. Instinctively, I touched my lips and noticed that they were dry. I instantly, reached for my bag, pulled out the lip gloss and applied a fresh coat.  
  
------  
  
I couldn't believe my eyes. She was sitting in my living room, miserable, crying, aching for Ryan's affection and she was still feminine enough to apply lip gloss. I am usually a confident person but that made me feel very self conscious. Maybe that was why Ryan was having a hard time leaving her. There she was, so girly that even though no one she wanted to impress was around, even though she'd driven all the way from Newport to engage in a bru-ha-ha with me, she still had enough presence of mind to touch up her make-up. God, why can't I be more like her? I was always the tom-boy growing up and I even got into the make-up game late. Maybe if I were more feminine, and had impeccable style like she did, Ryan and I would still be together.  
  
"Well, I do not know what to do," she said, looking fed up.  
  
I sat on the couch and faced her. "I do not think there is anything you can do. You just have to wait."  
  
"What about you?" she asked pointedly.  
  
What did she want to hear? I knew that in her fragile state, hearing that I intended to pursue my relationship to the fullest wasn't what she wanted to hear. "I don't know. Long distance relationships are hard. I don't know if we even want that. But for now, we are just friends."  
  
"If you are just friends, why won't he see me!" she flung at me.  
  
I looked at her and felt pity. The poor girl didn't realize that her theatrics were making things worse and not better. In the spirit of sisterhood, I decided to give her some advice.  
  
"Marissa, you do realize that all your crying and begging hasn't helped one bit."  
  
The look on her face told me that she did. "But what more can I do?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Of course you'd say 'nothing,'" she said with venom. "If I do nothing, it'll be easier for you to slide in there."  
  
I let out a short laugh. "Sweetie, trust me. This is between you and Ryan. It has nothing to do with me. If you keep suffocating him, he is going to rebel by rejecting you. If you never give him a chance to actually miss you and want you back, how is he ever going to do that? You need to stop acting so needy and at least, when you see him, act like the girl he fell in love with so many months ago - not this weepy pleading one."  
  
----  
  
What a bitch! She was trying to disguise her insults as advice.  
  
"Once again, that would fit right into your little agenda, wouldn't it?" I said sarcastically. "Don't stand there pretending... acting like you don't want him!"  
  
She put her hand on her chest, "I promise you, this has nothing to do with me. Right now, you are messing up any chances of you and Ryan getting back together. You're the reason you are not together right now. You broke up with him, hurt him to his core, when all he was trying to do was protect you."  
  
I looked at her and her words stung. They didn't sting because she was being hateful - no, they stung because they were true. Every last word of them. As she took her hand away from her chest, she rubbed her breasts slightly. What was she? A C-cup? I could barely fill out my A. My God, no wonder Ryan loves her so much. She's got big, beautiful breasts - and we know how men love those, while a robin would be ashamed to have my mine. God, why can't I gain some weight so I can fill out some tops? I try my best to eat as much as I can to no avail. Summer is always talking about how she wishes she was as thin as me, but frankly speaking, it wasn't as wonderful as it was cracked up to be. The truth is, men love healthy women like Theresa. I'd even overheard Ryan say that he loved a woman with whom he could have something to hold on. That's why sometimes I feel less and less secure about my reunion with Ryan, because, if he had his own personal Shakira, what would he want me for?  
  
"Would you like something to eat?" she asked. "I just finished dinner and we have some leftover Lasagna."  
  
"No thanks," I replied. God, why does she have to be so nice? She's beautiful and sweet. Please God, put me out of my misery right now.  
  
Suddenly, we heard a knock at the door. Theresa walked over and looked through the peep-hole. She looked back at me confused. "Does he know you're here?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Ryan?"  
  
"What?" I yelled. Theresa put her finger in front of her lips, gesturing me to shut up. I hadn't intended to scream but Ryan just showing up like that put me in panic mode. My goodness, what did he want? And more importantly, what will he say when he saw me?  
  
-----  
  
This is a two-parter Watch out for the second part. 


	2. Part Two

A/N: Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews :)   
  
Yeah, I do not own the OC, but if Fox is selling,...  
  
----------------------  
  
What was going on? First came Marissa then, Ryan. It was like I was in another dimension. When I took that job in Newport, I certainly didn't expect to dive into all this drama, and frankly speaking, I had already had enough.  
  
"What is he doing here?" I asked Marissa. Something fishy was definitely going on.  
  
She looked at me incredulously. "How should I know? You're the one that keeps having late night meetings with him," she accused. She appeared to go through a melt down and started crying. I kept staring at her and really didn't know what to think. Hadn't she already gone through her tear reserve? Any minute then, I was expecting to see tears of blood.  
  
He knocked at the door again. "Theresa, are you there?"  
  
I took in a deep breath. "Alright, wipe your tears, he shouldn't see you like that! I don't even know how I am going to explain your being here."  
  
On hearing that, she shot off the seat like a rocket. "You're right, he cannot see me here. I don't know how I am going to explain this to him! I need to get out of here!" She cried, visibly shaking.  
  
"Alright," I said. I wanted to run over and hug her, just to let her know that everything would be o.k. but I had to think really quickly.  
  
"That's a room," I pointed at my bedroom. "You can go in there. You can stay there till he leaves, o.k.? And," I added as an afterthought, "turn your phone off! We do not need anyone calling you and blowing your cover. O.K.?"  
  
She did as she was told and I opened the door.  
  
------  
  
"Theresa, is everything o.k.?" I asked her.  
  
"Yes, what's going on?" She asked with confusion boldly written on her face.  
  
Even though it was not raining as heavily, the wind was pushing it on me.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
She stepped aside and let me in.  
  
"You certainly took your time. Is there someone else here with you?"  
  
She looked around the room. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"Oh, no reason." It had taken her a while to answer the door so I was a little suspicious. But knowing Theresa, if was with a man, she would have told me.  
  
She sat at her dining table and I followed suit. "So, what's going on Ryan?"  
  
"I called you many times and you didn't answer your phone. I was getting worried, so I stopped by."  
  
"You called? I've been home for a while now. When did you call?"  
  
"I've been calling for about three hours now."  
  
"That's weird." She got up and walked to the phone.  
  
"Oh," she said, hitting her forehead. "I was online and forgot to log off."  
  
"That's alright. It's good to see you're o.k.."  
  
She smiled nervously, "would you like something to drink?"  
  
"No thanks. I'm fine." I guess my unexpected visit was making her feel a little nervous although I didn't understand it because not long before, I used to do this all the time.  
  
She sat next to me and asked," so what's going on that you have to come all the way here?" She asked with concern.  
  
I looked into her eyes. "Today is February 25th."  
  
On hearing the words she instantly understood. The look in her eyes turned from concern to shame.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Ryan, I forgot," she said, touching my hand.  
  
"I thought things would get easier but they never do. Whenever my Grandmother's birthday rolls around, the memories come flooding back and I do not know what to do with myself. I have not been truly happy since she passed away."  
  
Theresa didn't interrupt -she simply smiled and listened. Theresa, gosh, she always knew what to do. I really missed having someone so strong in my life. For a while, it was us against the world. I could live, knowing that she was always there. And I missed that.  
  
-----  
  
I felt so bad about forgetting his grandmother's birthday. His grandmother loved German chocolate cake and for the last four birthdays, my mother and I baked him one - as a way for him to feel close to her again.  
  
He leaned on my shoulder. "God, I miss her." He sat up and looked at me with those puppy dog eyes. "Theresa, I miss me. I miss the person I was while she was still alive. I was so happy then. She was the only thing in my life that made sense - other than you of course," he said with a sad smile.  
  
I patted his hand. "But you're happy, now, aren't you? You're happy with the Cohens. Right?" He always talked about how great they were and for the first time, I was wondering if he had been completely honest with me.   
  
He looked around the room, avoiding my eyes. "Of course I am happy with them - they are wonderful to me. But I feel weird talking to them about things like this. I don' t want them to feel like I do not appreciate what they've done for me," he said sincerely.  
  
"I am sure they won't think that. They'd be glad you opened up to them - it'll help you get closer."  
  
His mood immediately changed. "Well, whatever. I don't want things to be uncomfortable with us. Besides, it's fine," he said dismissively.   
  
"Don't pull that macho crap with me, Matthew," I warned, calling him by his middle name. "Remember I know you," my tone got softer, "you don't have to pretend with me."  
  
He relaxed again. "I sometimes worry that they regret taking me in. I am probably a much harder job than they expected."  
  
"You're not," I promised. I put my arm around him and hugged him. He responded in kind. "I spoke to my brother today," he said softly.  
  
"Yes?" We broke apart. "How is he?"  
  
"He's fine. He misses Granny too."  
  
I rubbed his hair playfully, "You'll be alright. You always are."  
  
"What about you, Theresa, are you alright?" He asked pointedly. He put his finger on my face and touched my scar. I'd gotten into an altercation with another girl that left me with a knife cut.   
  
"I am glad to see that is healing nicely, it is barely noticeable now," he observed.   
  
-----  
  
I stood in Theresa's dark room, freezing. Even though it was a cold, rainy night, Theresa had forgotten to shut the window. After I shut it, I went to the door to watch was what going on in the living room. I craned my neck in an attempt to hear what was being said with no success. All I could see what Ryan and Theresa hug for a very long time. As I was talking myself into believing that that overtly sexual hug was indeed platonic, I saw Ryan touch her face. I felt such disgust -it was like Ryan lacked creativity. Ryan always touched my face as he said sweet things to me - right before he kissed me. I planned to just look away and let them get it over with, but my legs refused. Before I realized it, I was in the living room standing in front of them.  
  
Slowly, Ryan noticed my presence and when it finally registered, he looked at me in shock. He looked at me, then at Theresa and back at me. Theresa looked at me disappointedly then stared at the ground, shaking her head.  
  
"What is going on here?" Ryan shouted, standing up.  
  
"You tell me!" I screamed back at him. "Is this what you meant when you asked me to give you some space?!?!" I was hurt beyond description. Ryan was acting like it was my fault. That the reason he didn't want to get back with me was because I didn't believe him about Oliver. But the truth was clear as day - he wanted to be with Theresa instead.  
  
"Marissa, what are you doing here?"  
  
My eyes welled up with tears and my voice got shaky. "I came here to try to get us back together because I love you so much, but what do you do? You come over to Theresa's in the middle of the night. I come over to your house, to give myself to you, in an attempt to solidify our relationship, but you reject me! You rejected me Ryan! Why? Is it because you were already sleeping with her?" I pointed at Theresa. "You were already sleeping with this... this... "  
  
"Now you listen..." Theresa interjected.  
  
"Shut up!" I screamed at her. "You're a lying bitch! You said that you weren't sure about your feelings with Ryan and all the while you were sleeping with him! Why else would he come here in the middle of the night?"  
  
Theresa didn't look phased. "You're here now, 'in the middle of the night,'" she pointed out. "Am I sleeping with you?"  
  
What a bitch! Everything was so messed up, yet she had the gall to be a smart-ass.  
  
"Ryan," she said. "This has nothing to do with me. I am going to my room - you guys should sort this thing out." She picked up a book from the coffee table and started to walk away.  
  
------  
  
I'd never felt so humiliated in my life. What in the world going on? As far as I knew, Marissa and Theresa didn't even know each other. Yes, they'd met. But other than exchanging a few pleasantries... What was she doing here? Did they get together sometimes to compare notes? I had never felt so betrayed in my life. Theresa was my oldest friend, I couldn't believe what she had done to me.  
  
"Theresa, you are not going anywhere! I am leaving. I do not have to be here. I should never have come."  
  
"Ryan," she pleaded. "Please, stay and talk to Marissa. Stay and talk to me! This is ridiculous."  
  
My blood started to boil. "You know what is ridiculous? You lied to me Theresa!"  
  
"No I didn't" she said defensively.  
  
"I asked you if anyone was here and you said no. The whole time Marissa was hiding in a closet or wherever. Is this your idea of fun? Theresa you lied to me! You lied to me! You are the last person I would expect that from. Through everything that has happened to me in my life, I could always rely on you to be honest with me. But you lied to me Theresa!"  
  
-------  
  
Looking at him, literally beat his chest, talking about how I lied to him broke my heart to smithereens. God, what had I done? Over the year, Ryan had looked at me in a variety of ways, but not like that. Never like that. He felt I'd been disloyal to him and I wanted to explain it to him, but knowing Ryan, I knew that this was not the best state to talk to him. His anger never let him see things clearly.  
  
"Ryan, calm down so we can talk," I begged.  
  
"Why? So you can lie to me some more?"  
  
"Ryan, how can you stand there accusing her of lying. What about all the lies you told me?," Marissa decided to contribute. Really, why in the world couldn't that frail bitch just shut the hell up? She wasn't helping the situation one bit. It was apparent why they had broken up in the first place - this couple didn't know the first thing about communication.   
  
Ryan put his hands on his head as if he had a head ache.  
  
"Marissa," he yelled. "Just quit this! I don't even understand why you are here!"  
  
"I told you! I came here to find a way of getting us back together."  
  
"Well Marissa, you shouldn't bother. I wasn't sure before, but now I know that Oliver was a good thing. If not for him, I would never have discovered the real you!"  
  
"Ryan, how can you stand there and say that? You know I love you!" If her voice had been any shrieker, all the glasses in my house would have shattered.   
  
"Well, Marissa," he said, his voice full of bitterness. "I regret the day I met you, because my life has been filled with pain ever since. I might as well have stayed in Chino." Oh my God, the old Ryan was back. If he can't hit something in anger, he says the vilest things -things he doesn't even mean. I could almost see the scene the following day. He'd wake up feeling disgusted with himself and spend the rest of the day beating himself up about the insensitive things he'd said.  
  
Marissa looked at him stunned. From what I could tell, the gravity of his words shook her to her core as she appeared to lose her balance causing her to lean against the couch to steady herself.  
  
"And as for you," he said, glaring at me, "thank you for making my Grandmother's birthday even more special," he said sarcastically. With that, he walked out of my house and slammed the door behind me.  
  
When I finally stopped staring at the door, I looked over at Marissa and saw her sitting on my couch sobbing. Frankly speaking, I wasn't in the mood to baby her because if she hadn't come over in the first place, my relationship with Ryan would not have been in jeopardy. I felt that everything had been her fault and in all honesty, I was sick of looking at her.  
  
"Marissa, you are going to have to leave now."  
  
She looked at me then got off the couch. She went back to my room to pick her things and soon after, she walked out of my house. 


End file.
